| Main Entry: | |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | bother, upset |
| Synonyms: | afflict, agitate, ail, alarm, amaze, annoy, arouse, astound, badger, burn up, complicate, confound, confuse, depress, discompose, dishearten, disrupt, distract, distress, excite, fluster, frighten, gall, grieve, harass, interfere, interrupt, intrude, irk, irritate, make uneasy, molest, muddle, outrage, pain, perplex, perturb, pester, pique, plague, provoke, puzzle, rattle, rouse, ruffle, shake, shake up, startle, tire, trouble, unhinge, unnerve, unsettle, vex, worry |
| Notes: | disturb is based on Latin turba 'tumult' and disturb applies better to physical agitation and perturb to mental agitation |
| Antonyms: | appease, calm, comfort, pacify, quiet, reassure, soothe |
| Main Entry: | electrify |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | thrill, stimulate |
| Synonyms: | amaze, animate, astonish, astound, charge, commove, disturb, dynamize, energize, enthuse, excite, fire, frenzy, galvanize, invigorate, jar, jolt, magnetize, power, provoke, rouse, send, shock, stagger, startle, stir, strike, stun, take one's breath away, wire |
| Antonyms: | bore, dull |
| Main Entry: | excite |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | inspire; upset |
| Synonyms: | accelerate, agitate, amaze, anger, animate, annoy, arouse, astound, awaken, bother, chafe, delight, discompose, disturb, electrify, elicit, energize, evoke, feed the fire, fire, fluster, foment, galvanize, goad, incite, induce, inflame, infuriate, instigate, intensify, irritate, jar, jolt, kindle, madden, mock, move, offend, precipitate, provoke, quicken, rouse, start, stimulate, stir up, taunt, tease, thrill, titillate, touch off, vex, wake up, waken, warm, whet, work up, worry |
| Antonyms: | bore, calm, compose, deaden, lull, moderate, pacify, quiet, repress, tranquilize |
| Main Entry: | flabbergast |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | surprise |
| Synonyms: | abash, amaze, astonish, astound, blow away, bowl over, confound, daze, disconcert, dumbfound, make speechless, nonplus, overcome, overwhelm, put away, shock, stagger, stun, throw, throw for a loop |
| Antonyms: | expect |
| Main Entry: | petrify |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | frighten |
| Synonyms: | alarm, amaze, appall, astonish, astound, benumb, chill, confound, daze, dismay, dumbfound, horrify, immobilize, numb, paralyze, put chill on, scare, scare silly, scare stiff, spook, startle, stun, stupefy, terrify, transfix |
| Antonyms: | calm, comfort, please, soothe |
| Main Entry: | puzzle |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | baffle, confuse |
| Synonyms: | addle, amaze, bamboozle*, beat, befog, befuddle, bemuse, bewilder, buffalo, complicate, confound, discombobulate, disconcert, distract, disturb, dumbfound, flabbergast, floor*, flummox, foil, frustrate, get to, mystify, nonplus, obscure, perplex, pose, profundicate, psych out, put off, rattle, snow*, stir, stumble, stump, throw |
| Antonyms: | clarify, elucidate, explain, illustrate, unravel |
| Main Entry: | stagger |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | astound, shock |
| Synonyms: | amaze, astonish, boggle, bowl over, confound, consternate, devastate, dumbfound, flabbergast, floor*, give a shock, nonplus, overpower, overwhelm, paralyze, perplex, puzzle, shake, shatter, startle, strike dumb, stump, stun, stupefy, surprise, take aback, take breath away, throw off balance |
| Main Entry: | startle |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | frighten, surprise |
| Synonyms: | affright, agitate, alarm, amaze, astonish, astound, awe, bolt, consternate, floor, fright, give a turn, jump, make jump, rock, scare, scare to death, shake up, shock, spook, spring, spring something on, stagger, start, stun, take aback, terrify, terrorize |
| Antonyms: | calm, comfort, compose, expect |
| Main Entry: | surprise |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | astonish; cause amazement |
| Synonyms: | amaze, astound, awe, bewilder, blow away, bowl over, cause wonder, confound, confuse, consternate, daze, dazzle, discomfit, disconcert, dismay, dumbfound, electrify, flabbergast, floor, jar, jolt, leave aghast, leave open-mouthed, nonplus, overwhelm, perplex, petrify, rattle, rock, shake up, shock, spring something on, stagger, startle, strike dumb, strike with awe, stun, stupefy, take aback, take one's breath away, throw a curve, unsettle |
| Notes: | amaze once meant 'alarm, terrify' but now means 'astonish'; surprise means 'meet with suddenly or without warning' |
| Antonyms: | expect |